I have a rifle I want to bid on and I know my max price but are there any strategies for winning other than "be the highest bidder"?

There is a 15 minute rule so I don't see how waiting to the last minute to bid is beneficial but some say that's the way to go? I don't want to drive up the price unnecessarily.

What say you? I know yall must have a crap ton more experience than myself on TJ.

Definitely wait until the very end to bid.

And don't fall in love. Pay what you think it's actually worth. Don't chase something overpriced. Another one will be available in due time. Sometimes quick depends on what you are looking at

at 16 minutes before action end, set you max price in dollars with your class year in pennies. Go to bed and see if you won it in the morning.

Definitely want to drink first. You'll improve your chance of winning tremendously

whatcha buying?

Looking for a 7mm win mag. I've been looking for a while as I'm particular about what I want and this seems to fit the bill. Definitely need to do last minute max bid and walk away because I'll do dumb things if I don't.

good luck!

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whatcha buying?

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Never answer this question or you'll get new competition.

I just won a GB auction for a bergara hunter that is a bit different with a 22" #4 fluted and threaded barrel, got it for a steal by doing the following! Don't bid until last 30 minutes to the last hour and put your absolute max down and then forget about it for the next hour!

Pray to the gun gods, set your bid price and walk away.

Check out "Guns International" before you start bidding on Gun Broker. I now favor this sight over GB with no hidden costs or taxes, even able to do a little Haggling.

Brazos. First figure out if it's an individual or dealer that has the rifle for sale.
I basically will not bid on a firearm on GB if it's a dealer because they oftentimes bid on their own guns. If you spend some time on GB you will notice a gun will say sold but then in 90 days you will see the exact gun up for bid again. They do that to test the market and try to drive the price up.
Most guns on GB are at inflated prices.
As was stated…. Guns International is a much better auction sight and guns on there are oftentimes from individuals that you can contact about the gun your interested in and make a deal.
I also like Gunrunner auctions.

When I bid I make a decision on my absolute top dollar I am willing to pay. Then I bid that max amount. Sometimes I get them way less than that max bid, sometimes I get them at that max bid, and sometimes I will be outbid.
I never feel bad about not getting a gun I bid on as I am comfortable with my max price decision. If I get it ….. fine….. if I don't, that's fine too. There will always be others.
I wait till an hour before the close of the bid ….then enter my max bid. I let the auto bid take over from there.
The key is deciding definitely in your mind what you are willing to pay at the get go. That way you don't get caught up in the emotions of bidding and pay more than you want.
That's how I do it anyway….,
Good luck.

FIDO*98* said:

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Definitely want to drink first. You'll improve your chance of winning tremendously

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As much true as it is bad advice.

What can go wrong?

One thing to be aware of on Gunbroker is that many sellers will use just a generic stock photo for the gun they're selling, meaning the gun in the listing photo isn't the actual one you would be buying if you win the auction. This might not matter if you're buying something like a polymer framed pistol or a specifically configured AR-15 where all specimens look exactly the same. But if you're buying a wood stocked gun where each one is unique and the character of the wood is part of the buying decision, make sure you ask the seller or verify in the listing that the gun in the photos is the actual gun for sale.

Then, as stated, know your absolute top $ you're willing to pay, enter that amount in the max bid, let the auto bid function take over from there, and wait… unless of course there's a "buy now" price, and you're good with that price, in which case you can "win" it instantly.

I put in my max bid and forget about it. I win about one gun a year.

The last one was a mid '80s Gold Cup National Match 1911 that came in a couple hundred under my max bid. . I have probably lost 50 since then though have been really close a couple of times.

Shill bidding is a big problem on Gunbroker so I research the sellers. They don't all do it. We didn't do it when we sold online. But there are plenty that do. The best sellers in my mind are the guys like Durys in San Antonio that list 100 guns a week at penny auctions. There are several that do that and they don't have time to shill bid.

Gunsinternational is a good sight also.

If you don't get your deal, I'm thinking about selling a Colt Sauer Sporting Rifle in 7mm win mag. I haven't put it up for sale yet, because I'm still no the fence about selling it. Let me know if you're interested.

That is one fine rifle. My dad had one in .308. Sadly it was stolen. I remember the attention to detail and the quality of workmanship was stellar.
I also remember the non rotating bolt was really fast on getting off a 2nd shot.
Truly a fine firearm!

DargelSkout said:

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If you don't get your deal, I'm thinking about selling a Colt Sauer Sporting Rifle in 7mm win mag. I haven't put it up for sale yet, because I'm still no the fence about selling it. Let me know if you're interested.

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7mm Win mag?

Sorry, 7mm Rem Mag.

I quit using Gunbroker. I'm on all the gun forums, and I have seen way too many complaints over the years of people saying they were ripped off and left negative feedback. Then, Gunbroker removed the neg feedback for that seller.

What good is feedback if a seller can get negative feedback removed?

When I did use Gunbroker, I only bought from FFLs with a storefront. I would google their business and check that before I'd buy something...

I had that same experience with Ebay earlier this year. I got a counterfeit item in place of a real item, and he had a no return policy. So, I left a neg feedback for the guy. The guy complained and EBay removed it. I then complained to ebay - what good is feedback if it can be removed?

Ebay honestly told me that they can still see the feedback I left, even if the public can't - so, for me not to worry about it.

That's ridiculous.

So, feedback on ebay is useless too now.

I haven't had any issues and have bought a lot of things on gunbroker. You have to really know what you are looking at and if it sounds too good to be true it is and don't bid on it. If you don't know for sure ask a few technical questions and you will know pretty quick who you are dealing with. I have had more problems selling than buying.

I've tried to bid a few times and lost. One time I won but GB had some kind of technical issue and reopened the auction. I missed out on great deal on Wilson AR. I complained to GB that they unfairly took my item away and people had plenty of time to bid. They didn't care. So I've rarely gone back and if I did it's been for rare, hard to find items.

For most new guns, a good local dealer can usually be competitive and much easier to deal with.

Thank you for the info. This one is a storefront and I have already called them and spoken to several people there. It's a legit place. Hopefully they don't run up the price. Your concern makes sense to me. However, I know what the rifle is worth and I know my max price and if they run up the price to that point and I win, so be it, I'm OK with that. If I don't, well, that's just how it goes. It's not an unusual rifle or caliber by any standards, but you never know. I've bought guns in the parking lot of gun shows for 800 and then carried it in for safe keeping and had people offer 1000+...It's a wierd impulse thing I guess. I definitely don't want to get caught up in that on GB. I'll treat it Like Ron Popeil said about the Showtime Rotisserie, I'll set it and forget it.

Hope you get.

I only buy ammo on Gunbroker and only if it has a "buy it now" option. I have had good success finding and buying ammo that was otherwise hard to find during covid. If you are careful and diligent you can find some decent deals on ammo. Last time I bout 2k rounds of .22LR cheaper with shipping from GB than I could get same from Academy Sports.